Astragal for double door or single door



United States Patent O 3,150,422 r ASTRAGAL FOR DOUBLE DOOR R SINGLE DOOR Frank L. Michaels, Hebron, Ky., assignor to The Michaels Art Bronze Company, Inc., Erlanger, Ky., a corporation of Kentucky Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 237,143 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-68) This invention relates to astragals which are used for weather stripping doors. A typical astragal comprises essentially an elongated bar, one edge of which is rounded. The bar is mounted within a channel, and springs, located between the bar and the base of the channel, urge the bar outwardly, against stops, into a position in which the rounded edge projects from the channel. When the door is closed, the rounded edge abuts a surface, depressing the springs slightly, to form a seal.

The present invention is concerned with an astragal device adapted to be used in pairs at the meeting edges of thedoors of a double swinging door installation or singly at an edge of a single door. Double doors are usually made of metal or of glass framed in metal. They are comparatively large and heavy, and they are more often found in commercial and public buildings than in homes. A metal door, or one framed in metal, expands and contracts appreciably as a result of temperature changes. Thus, the meeting edges of two swinging doors may fit perfectly in the summer, but withdraw from one another in winter to the extent that a crack is opened through which cold drafts may enter. In an attempt to overcome this, it has been the practice to provide means such as bolts to adjust astragal bars in and out within their channels. However, providing adjustability has not provided a satisfactory solution to the problem created by changes in temperature for several practical reasons. It is found that few building maintenance personnel know how to make such adjustments so that the astragals remain in the set positions made at the time of initial installation. If installed in the winter, striking problems occur during the following summer, and if installed in summer, the door is drafty the following winter. Furthermore, if a perfect draft-free fit were to be maintained,'the door Would require constant adjustment due to daily changes in temperature, and this simply is not done. Large Wooden doors are also subject to a similar type of expansion and contraction, but in this instance changes in humidity are the primary cause. The astragal device of this inveniton, therefore, is adapted for use with wooden doors as well as those made of metal.

Therefore, the primary objective of this invention has been to provide an astragal construction for use in double swinging doors in which two astragal bars are utilized, one on each of the meeting edges of the doors, that overlap one another to an extent greater than any amount of shrinkage likely to occur as a result of low temperatures or shrinkage as a result of dryness so that a seal is maintained at all times between the meeting edges of the doors when in closed condition.

A further objective of the invention has been to provide an overlapping astragal construction of the type set forth that may be used in double door installations in which both doors are adapted to open. This requires that the astragal bars must be adapted to pass one another, because when the doors are closed, the astragal bar of the left hand door may be outside the astragal bar of the right hand door. If the doors open outwardly, and a person desires to use the right hand door, the astragal bar of that door must pass its mate. In the past, it has been customary to mount astragal bars such that the 3,15%,422 Patented Sept. 29, 1964 only movements afforded them have been in and out with respect to their channels. In the astragal construction of thisinvention, the astragal bar, in addition to being movable in and out within their channels, are adapted to tip sideways within their channels. The tipping movement thus provided permits one astragal bar easily to pass the other, the seal between closed doors remains unbroken at all times and either door may be opened despite the overlapping relationship of the bars.

In a single door installation, wherein a large heavy door is used, shrinkage and expansion due to temperature and humidity changes also adversely affect the fit and adjustments are required. The astragal of this invention is ideally adapted for doors of this type with the tipping movement provided for the astragal bar maintaining an eflective seal at all times between the door and door jamb.

Other objectives of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a horizontal plane through the meeting edges of a pair of swinging doors.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a vertical plane passing down through the center of one of the two astragals of FIGURE 1.

Portions only, designated generally by the numeral 10 in each instance, are shown of the meeting edges of two doors of a typical double swinging door installation. An astragal device designated 11, in each instance, is shown mounted on a face of a door 10. As shown, the astragal comprises essentially a channel member 12, an astragal bar 13, and a wire compression spring 14. The channel member 12 is representative only of various types of channel members that may be utilized. As shown, the channel includes two side walls 15-15 joined by a back wall or web 16, and a flange 17 which constitutes a projection of the wall 15 of the channel member which resides against the surface of the door. Flange 17 has a series of holes in it which are countersunk and which receive screws of the type illustrated at 18. The edge of the flange is beveled as shown at 19, the outer edge of the channel members where the back wall meets the outer wall 15 is beveled as shown at 20, and the outer end of outer wall 15 is rounted as at 21. It is preferred that the channel member be formed as an extrusion and made of aluminum or brass.

The back Wall 16 inside the channel has a rib 22 extending the ful length thereof and this rib has a groove 23 in it which provides a seat for spring 14. Both side walls 15-15 are turned over at their outer ends to provide abutments 2424 which define retainers to limit the outward movement of the astragal bar under the ac tion of spring 14.

In a preferred embodiment, the astragal bar is made from sheet metal such as stainless steel and it is hollow. In the instance shown, the bar is made from two parts. One part, a nose, designated 25 is triangular as viewed in section with the apex of the triangle being rounded as at 26. The ends of this piece opposite the rounded outer end 26 are turned outwardly away from one another to provide side flanges 26a-26a as shown, and then the ends are crimped back toward one another to encase the opposite side edges of a back piece 27 for the bar. Thus, as shown, the back piece 27 in the area thereof, inwardly of flanges 26a26a constitutes a base portion of the generally triangularly shaped astragal bar 13 such that the two flanges 26a-26a may be said to project from the two sides of this base portion. However, as shown, the edgewise portions of the back piece 27 parallel the two flanges 26a-26a, being contiguous thereto. The back piece comprises a strip of sheet metal which is formed to provide a central, rounded groove 3 28. This groove 28 faces the groove 23 in rib 22 of the channel member. In each instance, the spring 14 is confined between the two grooves.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the spring 14 is formed from a length of wire which is bow-shaped. The central area of the wire designated 29 is rounded and it rests in groove 23. One end of the wire, as shown at 30, is also rounded to present an arcuate face to the groove 28 in the back piece of the astragal bar. The other end of the spring has a projection 31 on it which is engaged in a hole lo cated in the bottom of groove 28, the projection serving to lock the spring in place. The parts are dimensioned such that the astragal bar rests against the two abutrnents 24 24, extending straight out of the channel under the action of spring 14. However, when the astragals are paired as shown in FIGURE 1, they make contact with one another in the overlapping relationship shown so that the astragal bars are tipped within their channels. When one of the doors is opened, the bars are tipped to a greater degree in order to pass one another.

The doors 16 are shown as being made of wood. It will be apparent, however, that the astragal device of this invention may be mounted upon door of other materials including aluminum and bronze. It will also be apparent that the channel member may take different forms including one in which the channel is recessed within the outer edge of the door. In an installation, the wire springs are installed on ten to twelve inch centers along the length of the bar. The bar may be continuous along the edge of the door or it may be provided in sections.

In a single door installation, it is preferred that the channel member of the astragal be embedded within the free edge of the door. Under these conditions, the one astragal bar makes sealing contact with a part of the door jamb instead of the second astragal bar.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An astragal device adapted to be used in pairs at the meeting edges of the doors of a double swinging door installation, said device comprising:

a channel member adapted to be fastened to an edge of a door to extend the full length thereof, said channel member having side walls and a back Wall,

an astragal bar having a base portion within said channel and having a nose portion projecting therefrom, said astragal bar extending the full length thereof, flanges projecting from the respective sides of said base portion of said astragal bar.

a ridge centered on said back wall within the channel and having a groove therein,

said astragal bar having a groove centered in said base portion at the back thereof within the channel,

a spring seated within the respective grooves,

and abutment means at the outer ends of the sidewalls of the channel overhanging said flanges on said base portion of said astragal bar and providing stops to limit the outward movement of said astragal bar under the action of said spring and individually providing fulcrums on which the bar may pivot to tip sideways upon contacting the astragal bar of a similar astragal device fastened to the other door of a pair.

2. An astragal device adapted to be used in pairs at the meeting edges of the doors of a double swinging door installation, said device comprising:

a channel member adapted to be fastened to an edge of a door to extend the full length thereof,

an astragal bar having a base portion within said channel and having a nose portion projecting from said channel said astragal bar extending the full length of said channel,

flanges projecting from the respective sides of said base portion of said astragal bar, a bow-shaped wire spring, the back wall of the channel configurated to provide a seat for the mid-portion of said spring,

said base portion at the back of said astragal bar within the channel configurated to provide a seat for one end of said spring,

means to fasten the opposite end of said spring to the back of said astragal bar,

and abutment means at the outer ends of the sidewalls of the channel overhanging said flanges on said base portion of said astragal bar and providing stops to limit the outward movement of said astragal bar under the action of said spring and individually providing fulcrums on which the bar may pivot to tip sideways upon contacting the astragal bar of a similar astragal device fastened to the other door of a pair.

3. An astragal device comprising:

a channel member adapted to be fastened to an edge of a door to extend the full length thereof,

an astragal bar having a base portion within said channel and having a nose portion projecting therefrom, said astragal bar extending the full length of said channel,

flanges projecting from the respective sides of said base portion of said astragal bar,

spring means within said channel between the back of said astragal bar and the back wall of said channel and urging said astragal bar outwardly,

and abutment means at the outer ends of the sidewalls of the channel overhanging said flanges on said base portion of said astragal bar and providing stops to limit the outward movement of said astragal bar under the action of said springs means and individually providing fulcrums on which the bar may pivot to tip sideways.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 276,684 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1928 

3. AN ASTRAGAL DEVICE COMPRISING: A CHANNEL MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE FASTENED TO AN EDGE OF A DOOR TO EXTEND THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF, AN ASTRAGAL BAR HAVING A BASE PORTION WITHIN SAID CHANNEL AND HAVING A NOSE PORTION PROJECTING THEREFROM, SAID ASTRAGAL BAR EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID CHANNEL, FLANGES PROJECTING FROM THE RESPECTIVE SIDES OF SAID BASE PORTION OF SAID ASTRAGAL BAR, SPRING MEANS WITHIN SAID CHANNEL BETWEEN THE BACK OF SAID ASTRAGAL BAR AND THE BACK WALL OF SAID CHANNEL AND URGING SAID ASTRAGAL BAR OUTWARDLY, 